Geographies: Oslo

The two met at a StartupWeekend event in Oslo a while ago. They had never met before and even though they lived in the same city and spoke the same language they could not understand each other in the beginning.
The nerds vocabulary contained words that the beekeeper had never heard before. He talked about sensors, cloud services, machine learning, big data and kept mixing in all kinds of three letter combinations like IoT, API,

The beekeeper talked about his passion for bees and how vital these small creatures are for the flowers, trees and the environment in the city. That the honey bees from the city are said to be healthier and more productive than their country cousins.

The beekeeper had a friend that run a local eco shop. If the beekeeper could manage to produce enough honey it would be no problem selling it at a premium price.

He also talked about the growing interest in Urban beekeeping. Beekeeping in London has become increasingly popular. The number of beekeepers rose 220% between 1999 and 2012 with other figures showing a 200% increase between 2008 and 2013. And the same thing is happening in all cities around the world.

But it was a slow process to train the new beekeepers so that their bees produce the quality honey.

At StartupWeekend we bring startups, municipality, corporations, researchers, enthusiasts and citizens together to solve urban challenges.

Having entrepreneurial skills are now one of the most valued skills on the planet. And the opportunity has never been bigger for entrepreneurs. The smart city movement is catching momentum also in Norway: The challenges are clear to big and small; from the UN to the EU, from Innovation Norway to start-up hubs, from politicians, administrators to businesses. Technologically we are ready, almost any city service can be improved with a combination of currently available technology.

Oslo is Europe’s fastest growing city. Already 80% of norwegians live in cities and urbanisation is accelerating.

The fight against climate change will either be won or lost in cities, so it’s crucial to make our urban habitats more efficient, cleaner, and better to live in.

The look and feel of cities in the future must and will be different from today: buildings will become smart, consumers become prosumers, travel will become effortless, and cities will be responsive.

We cannot throw oil money at the problems. Norway’s main income, the oil, has plummeted and the golden years are behind us.

You can play a leading role in contributing to designing, building, and maintaining our cities of the future.

At StartupWeekend you will learn the skills of entrepreneurship. And you will be welcomed by a community of innovators that think changing the world is as normal as getting out of bed.

The existing #Ruter app connect trains, busses and trams to find the best route for you. But just from one stop to another.

Now image that it also connects carpooling, taxis, carsharing and city bikes. Calculating the time and costs for the whole journey. Calculating your Co2 footprint and giving you extra Co2 points for sharing a car, walking or using city bikes.

It will be more convenient for you when you travel. At the same you will be the hero that reduce Co2 and saves the planet.

You can even compete and challenge your friends – to travel more efficient or save the planet.

At StartupWeekend we bring startups, municipality, corporations, researchers, enthusiasts and citizens together to solve urban challenges.

Having entrepreneurial skills are now one of the most valued skills on the planet. And the opportunity has never been bigger for entrepreneurs. The smart city movement is catching momentum also in Norway: The challenges are clear to big and small; from the UN to the EU, from Innovation Norway to start-up hubs, from politicians, administrators to businesses. Technologically we are ready, almost any city service can be improved with a combination of currently available technology.

Oslo is Europe’s fastest growing city. Already 80% of norwegians live in cities and urbanisation is accelerating.

The fight against climate change will either be won or lost in cities, so it’s crucial to make our urban habitats more efficient, cleaner, and better to live in.

The look and feel of cities in the future must and will be different from today: buildings will become smart, consumers become prosumers, travel will become effortless, and cities will be responsive.

We cannot throw oil money at the problems. Norway’s main income, the oil, has plummeted and the golden years are behind us.

You can play a leading role in contributing to designing, building, and maintaining our cities of the future.

At StartupWeekend you will learn the skills of entrepreneurship. And you will be welcomed by a community of innovators that think changing the world is as normal as getting out of bed.

The event is tomorrow! We at Startup Weekend Oslo are very excited and are looking forward to seeing you all. Hustler tickets are SOLD OUT and there are a few developer and design tickets still available here: http://swoslo1014.eventbrite.com

Our amazing posters are designed by the very cool Rodney Boot and printed by CopyCat.

Every team at Startup Weekend Oslo gets Business Model Canvas to use during the weekend. However, since some may not know what that is and how to use it we have asked Terje Christensen to have a short workshop for you!

Terje Christensen, from Business Model User Group – BMUG.no, will be running a Business model workshop at 10.00 on Saturday. There you can learn how to use the Business Model Canvas to your advantage during Startup Weekend Oslo

Here is a short video explaning Business Model Canvas

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It takes a lot of professionals and established entrepreneurs to have a successful Startup Weekend Oslo. We need an array of mentors who are willing to spend hours of their own time working with each team, asking probing questions and offering insights derived from their own work experience. These people are smart, hard-working and very busy. But, when asked to volunteer their time to help others – even on nights and weekends – they say “yes.” Because they want to see the local entrepreneurs learn, grow and succeed.

So let’s meet these wonderful mentors that will be at SWOslo to help you and your team.

Wilhelm Joys Andersen, Principal Software Engineer

Wilhelm Joys Andersen used to make web browsers for a living. Today he runs a small development agency building some of the busiest sites in Norway. Oh, and he’s a W3C chair.

Andreas Gilstad, Product Manager for Grouper at Telenor Digital and spare time entrepreneur

Andreas is Product Manager for Grouper, a startup project in Telenor Digital. Grouper is a service that helps group organizers communicate more efficiently with the group being organized. In his spare time he is working with a picture sharing services for kindergartens.

Svein Hermansen, Senior Language Specialist, Nordics at Google
Svein has worked at Google for almost 4 years, and is a localization quality manager for the Nordic region. That means he’s responsible for the style of language Google uses to speak to all users and customers in Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish. In addition, Svein is part of a team which spreads knowledge about process-based innovation internally at Google, running workshops for internal teams based on the design-thinking framework.

Maja Adriansen, Founder of Startup Norway

Our purpose is to inspire and guide business minded individuals on taking the step to become a successful entrepreneur. Our company, Startup Norway, was started because we saw a lack of community and support for entrepreneurs in Norway.

Lars Klundby, Senior Analyst at Google

Lars is currently working for Google Norway as a senior analyst, looking at consumer trends and making the web work for Norway’s largest companies.

Silje Gabrielsen, UX & Design Director at Spond

“As my grandpa always said. If you can draw it, you can build it. I believe that more people can build bigger and better, that’s why my team is everything. I belive in learning by doing, failing fast, evaluate as a team and get better”.
Silje works at Spond, located at StartupLab. She is an organizer for IxDA -“The largest and most vibrant community for interaction design and user experience in Oslo”.

Terje Christensen, founding partner at Odin Systemer

Terje is currently a founding partner at Odin Systemer. He has a track record from several startups as well as a background in consulting.

Sign up here: http://swoslo1014.eventbrite and meet all these awesome mentors at Startup Weekend Oslo October 10-12th! Just next week!

Guest blog by Oda Sofie Dahl Eide, StartupLab’s gatekeeper and community managerThis year the Startup Weekend Oslo will be held at StartupLab ! Tickets available here: http://swoslo1014.eventbrite.com

StartupLab is an incubator for technology based startups, and is also an early stage investor located at Oslo Science Park. They have around 60 startups in their lab, with lots of meeting rooms, a kitchen, social zones, ping pong tables and even a café for their members to use.

They are a typical incubator that offers the entrepreneurs access to professional business advice and network, but they are special in their philosophy of mixing successful serial entrepreneurs with those less experienced. Key people and founders from Opera Technology, Funcom, Trolltech, Confirmit and Point Carbon, together with first time entrepreneurs fresh out of school, is what StartupLab believe creates a unique community of people with different background, knowledge and experience. StartupLab team offers workshops, free services and guidance from Innovation Norway, free legal advice from Steenstrup Stordange, professional assistance in finance from Ekstra Ressurs, as well as free IPR guidance from Europe’s leading patent agency, Dehns.

StartupLab also manage a fund, Founders Fund. The fund was established in 2013 by a group of successful entrepreneurs who wanted to make the hard life of starting a business slightly easier. Their offering is accelerating support, access to their joint network and entrepreneur friendly initial funding. Their goal is to help startups succeed and grow, and not to mention: go global! By giving their members access to a unique community, network, guidance and lots of free resources. StartupLab makes it easier for the entrepreneurs to focus on what is important, development and sale, and less on the administrative things.
Through the summer the office area has gone through a total rebuilding, and is now finally finished and ready for the participants of the next StartupWeekend Oslo. Take a look at the pictures to see the awesome new and huge office space, full of light, trees and awesome entrepreneurs!

Read more at www.startuplab.no and follow them at facebook.no/startuplabno!

Startup Weekend is a rare opportunity to try your hand at building a business from the ground up, surrounded by a supportive group of “hustlers, hackers, and hipsters.” Last year was my first time at Startup Weekend, and you can bet I’ll be back again this year. If you’re a graphic designer, here are 5 solid reasons why you should be there too:

5. Build A Business
If you’re a freelancer, one of the best ways to relate to your small business clients is to put yourself in their shoes for a weekend. Can you develop a product that people not only love, but actually want to purchase? How will you attract investors? What is your marketing plan, and is it viable? Learning how to find your priorities here may help you in the future, when clients seem unorganized.

4. Challenge Yourself
Is there an area of design that you wish you had more experience in? Whether it’s design for apps, websites, logos, or packaging, you can join a team who needs you to create something quickly; a great way to dive into a new genre without the pressure for it to be absolutely perfect. Going into my first Startup Weekend, logo design made me squeamish, but by the time the weekend finished I felt like an old pro.

3. Work Outside of Your Box
If you’re curious to test the waters as a frontend or backend developer for apps or websites, or if you have a skill for sales communication that you’d like to sharpen, this is the perfect opportunity to dabble. Startup Weekend is a learning environment and there are always people of different skill levels in attendance. Those attending with more experience are happy to teach others and give advice, and who wouldn’t want advice from a Nike director, or a seasoned Microsoft engineer?

2. Re-Energize
We all fall into a design rut every now and then and experience the pitfalls of being uninspired. If you’re looking for a way to break out of a design equivalent of “writers block,” I will be the first one to tell you that Startup Weekend is the next step to freeing your mind. A rarity in the real world, everyone who attends Startup Weekend is actually excited to be there, to work, and to have a hand in creating something great. Having creative free reign doesn’t hurt either.

1. Expand Your Network
It’s reasonable to say that a designer can never know enough people who are starting businesses. Logos, branding, and website design are just the tip of the iceberg for a blooming business. As we all know, Portland is a big small town, so with the connections you make at Startup Weekend you’ll end up with plenty of people who will be able to recommend your work to someone, or to someone who knows someone after the event ends.

Some people wait until the last minute to register their ticket. They hope that the event won’t sell out and that there will be some kind of sale or discounted price at the last minute.

That is not the case of Startup Weekend Oslo.

Entrepreneurship rewards those brave enough to take the risk and opportunities presented to them. At Startup Weekend Oslo we reward the brave and opportunistic few by giving a discount to those who purchase early. We call these the “earlybird” tickets that were on sale until September 1st.

If we were to offer last minute discounts, we would cause several problems:

We’d upset those who already bought their tickets,

we’d create a culture where everybody would wait until the last minute, which means we’d never be able to make the event happen,

Next Startup Weekend Oslo will be the 10th! This event is shaping up to be the best one yet!

We are so happy to announce our facilitator for SWOslo X, Kathleen Fritzsche. First time in SWOslo history we have a female facilitator. She have facilitated a number of Startup Weekend events around Europe. What a great way to make the 10th event truly awesome!

Photo: Margarit Ralev Photography, Sofia

Kathleen is fascinated by the startup community since attending her first Startup Weekend in 2010. In 2011, she co-founded StartUp Stuttgart, the main startup community in Southwest Germany. Meanwhile, Kathleen works for her own company Accelerate Stuttgart to foster entrepreneurship and to bring startup culture and innovation into public institutions.

Ticket sales are a bit different this year because they are placed in three categories. These categories are Early Bird tickets, Regular tickets and Late Bird tickets.

Early Bird tickets are on sale NOW for 500 NOK and will be available til September 1st.Regular tickets will be available in September for 700 NOK and Late Bird tickets will go on sale in October for 850 NOK.

Join us tomorrow at 20:30, August 13th, at Kulturhuset where the organizers of SWOslo X will have some beers and invites everyone for some casual evening with startup people and good conversations. Everyone is welcome to join in! We are looking forward to meet you all! Facebook event is here: http://on.fb.me/1oYMNEA

Sign up for tickets here to have one of the most fun and productive weekends you’ll have this year.

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